Raw Leather

The Hermann Oak Leather Company provided BestLeather.org with the opportunity of reviewing a few different lines of their leather. We’ve reported on their Latigo line of leather as well as their English Bridle line of leather in previous articles. The purpose in reviewing some of their different leathers was to showcase and highlight the advantages and uses of each line and where their greatest strengths lie.

The Hermann Oak Leather Company is one of the premier commercial tanneries remaining in the United States. Established in 1881 by Louis Charles Hermann to provide harness leather to wagon trains and settlers traveling west, Hermann Oak has maintained a tradition of producing high quality vegetable tanned leather. Businesses tend to flourish when a high quality product is provided at a fair price and Hermann Oak is no exception. As the company grew, Fred …

A website recently came to my attention that writes an in depth article every month on companies older than 25 years. Called TheDistance.com, the site has just two articles published so far, but the very first was on the Horween Leather Company.

It is an excellent article that explores why Horween has thrived in an ever changing environment by being committed to old fashioned ideals and continuing to provide the highest quality products. For any lover of leather …

The Hermann Oak Leather Company was founded in 1881 by Louis Charles Hermann to supply the settlers and wagon trains headed west. The company grew over the years and became a supplier of leather for US soldiers in both World Wars, and countless artisans and craftsman since.

Since its inception, the company has been committed to producing the highest quality vegetable tanned leathers for a variety of purposes. Today, the company is actively managed by Shep …

The Horween Leather Company was established in 1905 in Chicago, Illinois by Master Tanner and founder Isadore Horween. At the time, there were thousands of tanneries in the United States and at its peak, dozens in Chicago. Isadore Horween felt that he could produce a better tanned hide based on his tanning experience, and soon the Horween name was known for its high quality leather. Today, Horween is the only tannery in the Chicago …

Moore & Giles uses leather tanned in Italy. On a recent trip to their tannery they made this fantastic video featuring each step of their leather making process. What I found particularly interesting is the modern equipment featured in the film compared to some other renowned tanneries such as Horween that seem like not much has changed for a hundred years.